Beer: Reviews & Ratings

Pours a black with a 2 inch beige head. Smells of sweet vanilla, coffee, chocolate, caramel, sweet cream, dulce de leche, and roasted malt. Taste of sweet coffee, caramel, creme brulee, slight bitter, roasted malt, chocolate, and a bit of spice. Full mouth feel with a light to medium body and just a slight crisp making it very drinkable. (339 characters)

On tap, poured into a balloon snifter. The aroma is a warm creme brulee with a heavy dose of coffee. The beer is a dark, clear cola color with an abundant, off-white head that looks thin with large, soapy bubbles that has moderate retention and okay lace. The taste is a medium high chocolate sweet with a medium bitter burnt. The beer is smooth and lightly creamy with a small bubble, soft fizz, and a medium full body. The flavor is a creamy creme brulee with a light toffee and a warm coffee that finishes with a crispness, a hoppy spice, and notes of java. The finish is of a moderate length and tappers off quickly leaving just a light hint of roasted vanilla in the aftertaste. (683 characters)

*a disclaimer- there was a slight leak in the growler that resulted in a loss of carbonation. I'll report the results, with as much understanding as I can muster for the obvious impact to appearance and feel

Pours black with very little head. Given the situation there is no surprise over the complete lack of retention or lace.

Sweet, roasty nose of coffee, caramel and vanilla. Nice.

No surprises in the flavors. A predictable and tasty blend of coffee, vanilla, caramel and dark chocolate. Very little detectable alcohol. This is more successful at blending both coffee and vanilla than many other attempts I've had.

A fairly light feel with almost no carbonation. Finishes with java, burnt cocoa and vanilla beans.

While not up to the greatness of several of their other offerings, Kuhnhenn has a nice coffee vanilla stout here. The nose and flavors are right on and I can't really fault the appearance or feel for falling a bit short. (1,068 characters)

One of the first beers that blew my mind. I enjoy this beer with pleasure every time I'm back home in Detroit. Among the several great beers that Kuhnhenn produces, this one looks, smells, and drinks the best. (209 characters)

Draft at the new Dead Bear Brewing in Grayling MI of all places.Becalmed dark brown pour, barely a ring of off white head. Though this is a really full pour.Aroma, roast malt, fresh coffee. Vanilla is pretty subdued.

Taste, much more intense. Coffee, roast malt, mocha. Lingers nicely.

Medium body, a little low on the carbonation. Coats well enough and definitely no abv presence.

A coffee brew winner with the sweetness very well in check. (450 characters)

This brew was served from the tap at the Kuhnhenn Brewing taproom in Warren, Michigan. It arrived in a generic tulip, showing the darkest nut brown coloring. It sported a one and a half finger tall head of latte colored bubbles, showing decent retention into spots of lacing around the glass. No haze or sediment was appreciable, and carbonation appeared to be moderate. The aroma was sweet and rich, with notes of milk chocolates, bright hazelnut coffee, vanilla wafer crispness, heavy roast, fresh whole milk creaminess, and black cherry fruitiness. With warmth came light brushes of booze, burnt smokiness, and warming buttery diacetyls. Our first impression was that the coffee really enhanced through the taste, giving much more strength, roast, and genuine savoriness than in the nose. As we sipped, the flavoring began with soured ground coffee, lightly floral hops, fresh but darkly roasted brown and coffee malts, vanilla cream sweetness, bittered walnut oils, smoke, raspberry jam, and mint leafiness. The middle came to a peak with black cherry fruitiness and pit, mild coffee acidity, wet browns and burnt barley, medicinal phenols, and more freshly brewed coffee warmth. The final wash was a blend of continued medicinal bite, fusel booze, cherry sourness, French vanilla and hazelnut coffee beans, white cracker graininess, bitter roast, light leathers, and lemon juiciness. The aftertaste breathed of strong char and roast, fresh coffee, light lemony and floral hops, gritty gravel and mineral, alcohol, plum, and mashed hazelnuts. The body was full, and the carbonation was medium. Each sip gave nice syrupy smack, nice pop, slurp, but lesser cream or foam. The mouth was left coated through the sip, with chalky astringency drying the palate through to the base of the tongue. The abv was appropriate, and the beer drank well.

Overall, what we like best about this beer was its taste. The coffee flavoring was genuine, raw, powder, sweet, roasty, and entirely stole the show, as it should have. The secondary addition of this to the final beer base blended excellently, striking just the right balance between the depth, roast, and smoke inherent to the grain bill. This is evident through the aroma as well, but it just doesn’t quite hit you as hard as it does in the tongue. This balance aids drinkability, and again, helps things avoid being sickeningly sweet, while not going overboard with the bitterness or the darkness on the other end. This is a fun, highly drinkable stout, loaded with flavor. (2,522 characters)

On tap at Kuhnhenn's brewpub in Warren. Pours very nearly black, maybe some hints of dark, dark ruby-brown near the very edges, but it's pretty much not letting any light through. Tan head shows decent retention, although it doesn't leave much lacing behind. Fine bubbled and cream, it just perches softly atop the black brew.

The aroma is deep, deep coffee beans; kind of like when you open a new pouch of coffee beans for the first time and stick your face in it and inhale. Roasted, rich, oily coffee beans. More roast than sweetness, although a small cream and sugar-like sweetness aspect is relevant. This one has a very faint, abrupt booziness in the tail-end, something that I don't recall being as noticeable in the non-imperial version of this brew. Aside from that, the aroma isn't much different. Maybe a little less sweet.

Handfuls of finely roasted coffee beans and used up coffee grinds line the edges of the flavor profile. The coffee is pretty "deep", in that it almost tastes like a quaintly made espresso rather than a cup of morning coffee. Not picking up as much sweetness on the palate as on the nose, but a faint, vanilla-like residual sweetness comes a-knockin' about halfway through and really ties things together. Without that, it wouldn't really be a "Crème Brûlée" java stout, right?

I'm having a hard time identifying any real differences between this brew and the non-imperial version, and it doesn't help that so much time has passed since I've had the former. These would be a nice one to do a side-by-side with. The mouth feel is pretty smooth, silky, and creamy. Seems thick enough for my liking, so maybe that's something else that the imperialized version has going for it. Either way, they're both very tasty coffee stouts that any coffee-beer lover would definitely enjoy. (1,816 characters)

huge thanks to BigBadBarrel for sending this beer as an EXTRA! Thanks Jon you are seriously awesome!

poured into tulip glass.

Appearance: dark black bodied beer with 2 finger of medium brown head. Thick lacing on the side of the glass and the head has a good amount of staying power, slowely droping down to a thin cap.

Smell: This beer smell just like it should...exactly as the name would imply and honestly even better than I expected! Big dark, rich, roasty ,expresso beans. Then comes the sweetness...it matches the intensity of roasty with sweetness. Big whiffs of vanilla and caramel and coffee creamer its completely undeniable and unmistakeable.

Taste: As if the smell of this beer was irrestable...it tastes very similiar to how it smells! Kuhnhenn you are blowing my mind! Very expresso forward beer; heavy roast and rich coffee beans. Then comes the sweetness which adds spectacular balance to the heavy expresso flavors. Lots of coffee creamer, caramel, and vanilla flavor. It finishes with a nice balance between the roast and sweet flavors and imparts a touch of nuttiness. Almost peanut butter like flavor. This beer is wonderful.

Overall: I really thought that I would have to belly up to the bar at Kuhnhenns to get a sample for this beer, but thanks to Jon...he saved me a long trip and I still got to try this beer.What a treat. Its such a good coffee beer i would even say its on the same level as veitnamese speedway stout and it might even be better...almost a good as Surly Four! Kuhnhenn you guys just nailed this beer out of the park! This beer has been a long time want that was completely worth the wait. Thanks again Jon! (1,791 characters)

A - Dark, espresso coffee. No head other than a very slight layer of foam near the edges.

S - Sweet Coffee. Hints of caramel and vanilla waft up from this. In the backbone, there is definitely a smell of Creme Brûlée that stands out. Smells like you walked into a Gloria Jean coffee shop. Great nose on this one.

T - Sweet coffee at first. There are hints of vanilla and caramel mixed in. There is definitely a sweet hint of the Creme brûlée as well but it is just a hint. The coffee is definitely stronger in here. The finish is light, bitter espresso with enough cream sweetness to keep it from being too bitter

MF - Minimal carbonation. Medium body with a slight stickiness to it. There is a slight astringency near the backend that comes from the coffee.

O - A great coffee stout from Kuhnheen. Has a great nose to it. I really like how well it balances the coffee with the sweetness throughout. (950 characters)

A - Sits black in the glass with cola edges. As the supply goes down it develops a more dark ruby red hue. Still, a very dark stout. Medium brown head and crystal clear. Photo of the pour : http://tinyurl.com/7b7qfqu

S - Marshmallow, caramel, black coffee and soft vanilla. This one smells fantastic. Roasted malt is swimming around in there. Really an outstanding aroma. Not crazy sweet as it hits on the bitter coffee notes more.

T - Marshmallow again upfront followed by bitter black coffee and vanilla. Very nice. Not overly sweet like Southern Tiers Creme Brule, as it focuses more on the coffee than the vanilla. Very dark chocolate in the late finish.

M - Carbonated like Old Rasputin. Slightly fizzy, medium in body. Not too thick, not too thin. She's a tickler.

O - Search it out. I had this on draft, so I can't comment on a bottled version, but it was a treat. (925 characters)

T - a party of tastes just exploded in my mouth.. my first taste was tiramisu.. i guess it's like a rum soaked creme brulee now that i think of it.. very sweet, delicious. the longer i drink, the more coffee flavors i get. this is perfection for a stout.

M - creamy, yet smooth and watery enough to not make you full like most stouts this heavy

O - as far as a flavored stout goes, this is hands down the best thing i have ever had. this, along with joe mama's milk stout are a tough fight for my #1 spot (717 characters)

Appearance: Served in my Lost Abbey snifter, this thing comes looking mighty hefty with a shiny-oily black color and a great two-finger head that soon recedes into one and then to a rim and thick soapy bubbles.

Taste: Follows nose, with coffee and more of that fake vanilla upfront, then some roastiness and hops. Spoiled heavy cream and funk.

Mouthfeel: Incredibly thin for a beer this big. Disappointing, with low body and carbonation, medium flavor. Ends very watery and flat.

Overall: Drinks good for the style, but this really isn't so good. It mostly tastes of fake vanilla powder, instead of the real creme brulee you get in Southern Tier's version. Will not revisit. (897 characters)

Pours with a black body, and a light frothy chocolaty head. Dissipates to a filmy ring. Aroma of sweet cream, coffee, roast, vanilla cream, sugar milk, and a robust chocolate. Fearing an overly sweet taste, I was pleasantly surprised. It's sweet with a vanilla/chocolate milk note, sweet creamy coffee, big roasted notes. Feels average though really. It's very creamy, but it's medium bodied at best. Nothing bad at all but definitely the slight week link. Admissible though in the end because this is a wildly tasty and aromatic beast! (583 characters)

Bottle shared by Chris of the Rhino, December 2009 bottling. Into a snifter.

Poured black, with some deep ruby highlights in the light round the edges. A thin head is produced, but a thick brown collar retains. Nose wafts huge notes of French vanilla flavoured coffee, hazelnut and brown sugar. Sweet and some lesser roast notes. Just awesome. Taste left me wanting much more unfortunately, lots of sour/lactic notes - a significant departure from the nose. Chocolate and coffee are there as well but are less pronounced, some roastiness prevails. We debated initially as to the likelihood that this lactic sourness was intentional, but based on these reviews, I'm guessing this bottle has turned south. Although the sourness isn't overwhelming, it certainly isn't what I'd like in this instance. Medium full feel, and I can't help but feel let down that this wasn't as good as it smelled. (891 characters)

Pours a deep black, light tan head, good retention. Smell is rich with sweet sugary notes, vanilla, coffee, roasted malt, chocolate, burnt sugar, very nice to smell. Taste is malty and roasted, lightly astringent, light sour lactic like notes, some bitterness comes out, mild vanilla and chocolate, some coffee, this was pleasant at times and at times a little on the bad side. Medium carbonation, good feel, decent weight. This was fairly enjoyable, aside from the overly lactic and sour points experienced in some sips it was quite good, if you have any in the cellar you should open them soon as these probably wont last much longer. (651 characters)

The brew is black with a thick head. Good retention, even in my mini Jackie O's snifter. I will say upfront that I went back for 2nd and 3rd pours of this so it was a good sample size to be rating this so high.

Overall this is just a thick looking stout. Ok lacing as well, which was even better for some of those using full-sized glasses for the tasting.

The aroma is utterly delicious. It's very sweet, but not cloying. Coffee is big as is vanilla. There is an amazing toasted marshmallow smell that translates into crème brûlée most excellently. Also plenty of roasty malt and chocolate aromas.

The taste was outstanding as well. Strong, dark french roast coffee. Bitter roasted barley adds an element of char. Bakers chocolate, and vanilla add to the desert aspect of this beer. There's a light greenness to the hops, which is the only thing I might change. But that's me getting really nitpicky.

Medium bodied with a dry finish. Overall, this is an amazing beer. I imagine it as taking all of the best aspects of the Southern Tier Imperial Stout series, leaving behind the heavy booziness and cloying sweetness associated with them, and rolling it all into one super coffee chocolate oatmeal crème brûlée stout. Aww yeah..

And I must say again, that the brewers got the crème brûlée character spot on. Too many claim to impart such flavors into their beer, but most cannot deliver. Kuhnhenn has delivered crème brûlée on a silver platter... erm... growler. (1,553 characters)

Dark brown. 1/8th inch of brown foam thins quickly. Wispy retention with a bubbly collar. Swirling helps a bit; however, by the end, only liquid remains.

Aromas of roasted coffee, cream, nips of chocolate and some toffee. At times, butterscotch. Nice and potent. Tastes exactly the same: lots of roasted coffee and some espresso, unsweetened cocoa. Not overly sweet; good balance with roast. Some hops. Full body. Moderately low carbonation. Half creamy, half gritty feel, like coffee dregs. Not hot, but tingly.

Quite tasty and enjoyable. I could drink it from time to time. (660 characters)

The beer arrived with a thin layer of dark khaki foam already settled on top of the black/brown body. The head dissipated quickly...poor lacing.

The nose has lots of roasted malts, sweet lactose, coffee and chocolate.

Like the nose indicates, the taste is roasty and sweet with a milky vanilla backbone. The sweetness takes over in the middle and gives way to a roasted finish. The ABV is hidden well and does not show up in the flavor.

Medium to thick mouth feel with little carbonation.

Awesome beer. Got better and better as it came to temperature. I really with I lived close enough to get this on a regular basis. (677 characters)

Poured into my Darkness snifter. Jet black pour. No trace of light coming through on this one. Two fingers of tan fluff rest on top of the vicious black. My nose is greeted by whole bean coffee. Vanilla and bakers chocolate have come to the party too. Beautiful. Taste is right on par with the smell. Coffee upfront, chocolate in the middle, followed by vanilla on the finish. It is sweet but certainly not overly to me. Mouth is pretty thin but that is what the doctor ordered here.

I've had the Southern Tier version of this beer before. That was like sweet syrup. This beer was sweet as well, but not near what the aforementioned was. This was like a wonderful cold pressed coffee. Downright fantastic. Would drink this regularly given the opportunity. (807 characters)